As of June 2006, eighty percent (80%) of all diesel fuel produced or imported for highway vehicles will be required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to contain less than 15 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. This is known as ultra-low sulfur diesel or ULSD. Liquid petroleum product transportation systems including barges, pipelines, pipeline tank farms, terminals, transports and retail storage facilities transport and store a variety of different petroleum products including products that contain a higher sulfur content. Since ULSD and other petroleum products are often transported in the same barges, pipelines and tanks and terminals, there is a concern that the higher sulfur products could contaminate the ULSD by raising its sulfur content past the 15 ppm limit. Since the EPA is allowing no more than a ±2 ppm variation in the sulfur content of ULSD, the petroleum industry is facing an immediate and difficult challenge in meeting the ULSD requirements.
This invention first tests the movement of ULSD through a typical petroleum transportation system and determines the effect of the movement on the sulfur levels of ULSD. The invention then establishes a set of procedures for preparing petroleum pipelines, pipeline tank farms, terminals, transports and retail facilities which have been previously used to transport and store higher sulfur content fuels for successfully transporting ULSD while maintaining compliant sulfur content.
The Highway Diesel Final Rule (66 Fed. Reg. 5002, Jan. 18, 2001) and the Non-road Diesel Final Rule (69 Fed. Reg. 38958, Jun. 29, 2004) provide requirements to reduce the sulfur content in diesel fuel over a specified period of time. The sulfur content limit will be enforced throughout the distribution system. The EPA allows a sulfur enforcement tolerance of ±2 ppm, allowing ULSD to contain no greater than 17 ppm sulfur content at any point in the distribution system. Maintaining measured compliance with ULSD limit of ≦15 ppm will be a challenge to the industry.
The EPA regulations include several transition dates with temporary exclusions and transition provisions. The regulations do not govern the sulfur content in products used for jet fuel, home heating fuel or stationary engines such as those used by utility companies, which can have sulfur content as high as 5000 ppm. By Jun. 1, 2006, at least 80% of produced or imported diesel fuel used for highway purposes must be ULSD. Pipelines and terminals must convert by Jul. 15, 2006, and retail outlets must be converted by Sep. 1, 2006. By June, 2010 all produced or imported highway diesel fuel must be ULSD. The deadline for downstream delivery systems is Oct. 1, 2010 and for retail is Dec. 1, 2010.